Bulgaria highway pile-up in fog kills at least 12

At least 12 people died in crashes involving about 50 vehicles on a Bulgarian highway on Tuesday, with accounts differing on casualties and cause.

What happened

At least 12 people were killed in a series of crashes on both sides of a highway in Bulgaria on Tuesday, Bulgarian authorities said ¹. An estimated 50 cars and trucks were involved in the accident on the Yambol highway, according to the regional governor of Yambol, Georgi Chalakov ². Ten people died on the spot and two others died while being transported to a hospital, Health Minister Katya Ivkova said ³.

A bus and a truck collided, leading to a pileup on the side of the A1 highway near the southeastern city of Yambol, according to the interior ministry, reported only by DW ⁴. The crashes happened near Yambol on the route linking Sofia with Burgas, forcing the closure of the road in both directions, reported only by Al Jazeera ⁵⁶.

What is confirmed

Confirmed claims establish that at least 12 people were killed in the crashes on both sides of the highway on Tuesday ¹. Ten died on the spot and two others died while being transported to a hospital ³. An estimated 50 cars and trucks were involved in the Yambol highway accident ².

Bulgaria had 71 road fatalities per million inhabitants in 2025, the highest rate in the European Union, according to European Commission figures ⁷.

Where the accounts differ

The casualty figures are not uniform across outlets. TRT World reports that eleven people died in a mass pileup in thick fog on a motorway in southeastern Bulgaria ⁸, while BBC reports twelve dead after motorway pile-ups in Bulgaria fog ⁹. The confirmed figure of at least 12 killed on both sides of the highway is reported by DW and Al Jazeera ¹.

The number of people taken to hospital also differs. TRT World reports that 51 people were admitted to hospitals in nearby cities, with 13 critically injured ¹⁰. DW reports that 46 people were injured and taken to medical facilities ¹¹, and Al Jazeera reports that 46 people were transported to medical facilities for treatment ¹².

On the cause, DW reports that Lyubomir Nikolov, the ministry's general secretary, said fog was likely the cause of the accident ¹³. TRT World reports that Interior Minister Ivan Demerdzhiev said a sudden change in weather conditions was the main reason for the pileup ¹⁴. TRT World also reports that visibility dropped from around 70-80 metres to approximately 10 metres within a short period ¹⁵.

What is not known yet

Several details rest on single outlets. A total of 456 people were killed in road traffic accidents in Bulgaria in 2025, down five percent from the previous year and 27 percent lower than in 2019, reported only by TRT World ¹⁶. Around 50 cars and trucks were involved in the pileup on the Sofia-Burgas highway, reported only by TRT World ¹⁷.

Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev cancelled his official events scheduled for later on Tuesday, reported only by Al Jazeera ¹⁸. Radev described the accident as a ‘tragedy’, reported only by Al Jazeera ¹⁹. Ursula von der Leyen said she would cut her visit short, reported only by DW ²⁰.

The ledger leaves open the exact number of injured and hospitalised, the precise cause of the crashes, and the final death toll.

Why it matters

The confirmed figure that Bulgaria had 71 road fatalities per million inhabitants in 2025, the highest rate in the European Union ⁷, suggests the crash will focus attention on road safety in the country. If the single-source figure of 456 road deaths in 2025 is accurate ¹⁶, it would indicate a downward trend, though the ledger does not establish this. Analysis: the differing casualty counts and cause attributions show that early official accounts were still being consolidated, and the confirmed claims rest on Bulgarian authorities cited by DW and Al Jazeera ¹³.

Opinion

Faultline's view

The confirmed core is grim and clear: at least 12 dead, about 50 vehicles, and a country with the EU's highest road fatality rate. Beyond that, the picture is being assembled from single-source fragments. Western outlets DW and Al Jazeera carry the confirmed spine, while TRT World offers the most detailed account of visibility and the interior minister's attribution to sudden weather change. That attribution deserves weight, not dismissal, and the differing hospital figures show how quickly early numbers move. The ledger does not let us declare a cause, and we should not pretend otherwise. What it does show is a safety record that predates this fog, and a need for answers that do not stop at the weather.

This section is Faultline’s opinion, argued only from the receipts above. It is not part of the factual record and cites nothing new.